sharone

We are doing a 3 week tour next May from San Francisco to San Diego. Our destinations are SF, Yosemite, Death Valley, Vegas, Bryce Canyon, Monument Valley, Grand Canyon, San Diego.
We will need to do a one night stopover from the Grand Canyon to San Diego which will probably be Phoenix but we don't want to drive into the middle of a city for such a quick stopover so was wondering if anyone can recommend anywhere else thats about half way or somewhere on the outskirts of Phoenix.
We have got most of our hotels sorted but we can't seem to make a decision on San Diego, we will be there for 4 nights and are quite happy to drive out during the day to see places but at night we want to be able to just walk to bars and restaurants, our choices so far are -
Best Western Hacienda Old Town
Pacific Inn & Suites
Wyndham San Diego Bayside
Best Western Plus Bayside Inn
Four Points by Sheraton
Holiday Inn Express
Omni
Can anyone give any help on these as to whether they are a good location, quality etc?
Any other thoughts from people as to what you consider "must do's" or "don't bother with" at our destinations would be great. So far we have looked at SF and want to go to Alcatraz, a wine tour and thought maybe the hop on hop off bus would a good way to get to see a lot.
We are just sooo excited now about the whole thing and any help at all would be great, thanks

adnil1962

We like to stay at Hotel Del in San Diego it is on Coronado. Even if you don't stay there, walk through and maybe have a drink there.

Take a drive to wine country - we love a place called Oakville - stop at the Oakville Grocer for a picnic lunch then visit the Mondavi, Cakebread, Silver Oak & Plumpjack wineries. Take the Mondavi tour. They are all within a few blocks of one another - all great wines.

The Alcatraz tour was terrific! We bought the SF hidden stairway guidebook and did a few walks.

For San Francisco search this forum for a post by "Stu Dudley" - here is one - http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...mendations.cfm - he is spot on! great recomendations.

Be sure to drive along Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) from San Diego to San Fran - great views! If that doesn't fit into your itinerary, at least do the 17 mile drive - you can drive but we prefer to bike - Monterey is just a few hours south from SF, you can rent bikes there and ride the 17 miles to Carmel, window shop and have lunch there, then ride back.

If you drive the coast (Highway 1) take a few days - we usually stay a night in Santa Barbara and a night in Cambria with a stop at Morro Bay, the Hearst Castle, Monteray/Carmel and Half Moon Bay.

On the way from Vegas to the Grand Canyon a few years ago we did a one day rafting trip that was really great - http://www.grandcanyonwest.com/rafting.php - well worth it to stop and do the Hoover Dam tour.

I would suggest adding Sedona to your itinerary as well. Here is a ;ink to my trip report: http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...ayon-vegas.cfm and here is part 2 http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...nyon-vegas.cfm

Have a great trip!

HappyTrvlr

Sedona is beautiful and on your way from the GC to Phoenix, if that is the route you are planning to use. I-17, I-10 to I-8 into San Diego.

sharone

Thank you for those ideas, we are flying into SF and out of San Diego so can't do a coast drive. Hoover Dam is a good idea, we would like to see that and Sedona sounds nice, we could maybe have a short stop there on our way to Phoenix.

J62

I'm glad to see it's not just Americans who visit the UK or Europe that try to squeeze everything into a 3 week visit...

But overall it sounds like a logical route and nothing I would bypass. I'd suggest you also add Zion to your list - it's on the way from Vegas to Bryce and worth more time the either of those places.

tomfuller

If you didn't want to visit Sedona, try for the Hacienda which is the first hotel you see when you come over the big new bridge over Hoover Dam on US 93.
Just west of the Hacienda, take US 95 all the way south to I-8 at Yuma AZ.

sharone

J62, I know, it's packing a lot in but we have to make the most of the time we have. We did go back and forth on whether to stop at Zion or Bryce or both but decided on 2 nights at Bryce in the end. We will be seeing so much amazing scenery all over so I'm sure we won't be disappointed at leaving out Zion.
We just have 2 nights in Vegas as we just want to get a feel for the place, I don't think we would like to stay any longer there but we have tried not to have too many long car journeys between places.
It's still finding somewhere between Grand Canyon and San Diego that we need to sort and San Diego itself.

sunbum1944

In the San Diego area I suggest staying at one of the beach towns north of the city- you state you want to be able to walk to bars and restaurants in the evening. La Jolla would be a good choice with many beautiful restaurants and bars and beautiful scenery.

I prefer the N county towns to staying in the city.

Sedona is a spectacular spot- sounds like it will just be a stop in the road for you, but its beautiful just doing a drive by.

Enjoy!

Lexma90

I noticed you mentioned Monument Valley. We visited there (from our home in Denver) last summer, as a high school graduation trip with our son. Of the entire southwest trip, that was the most amazing part (though Canyon de Chelly was pretty great too). Enjoy!

emalloy

If you use google maps, from GC to San Diego, it routes you down to I-40 and then west I think to 15 then 215. It looks like Havasu City is about half way and there are plenty of places to stay and you can go over the London Bridge ( a bit cheesy)

sharone

emalloy - we didn't even consider that route, that may be a better option for us especially as I think I saw on another post that the route from Phoenix to San Diego was particularly boring, I had forgotten our old bridge is now in America, might be quite amusing to go and have a look at it.

peterboy

"We will be seeing so much amazing scenery all over so I'm sure we won't be disappointed at leaving out Zion." I suppose you can't be disappointed in anything if you don't see it...the same could be said of Grand Canyon. You have to drive right through it to get to Bryce...one night at each would be better.


"We just have 2 nights in Vegas as we just want to get a feel for the place,"

You can get a feel for the place by simply driving through...I find the place an embarrassing testament to our tendency to excess. Take a night away from Vegas and do anything else with it.

InSandy

If all you want from Las Vegas is a "feel" then one night there will be plenty. There are certainly lots of people who spend a great deal of time there and love it, but unless you take in a show you can see plenty in one night.

I am also of the opinion that you will enjoy a night in Zion. Two nights for Bryce is actually too many. You could do those two nights in Zion and see Bryce in half a day visit if you are short of time. Bryce is a small park and easy to see in a day. But you really shouldn't miss the opportunity to see Zion, which as has been noted you can drive through on your way to Bryce.

Most people tour Hoover Dam, I suppose since it is close to Las Vegas. But the Glen Canyon dam in Page will offer much the same experience and is less expensive and not as crowded. You might also be interested in the Antelope Canyons in Page as well as a nice short hike to the Horseshoe Bend Overlook. Page is a nice stopover between Bryce and Monument Valley.

sharone

Peterboy, it seems a lot of Americans try to warn people off going to Vegas but we are travelling thousands of miles to see places that are so different to anything we have at home and we are looking forward to the variety that this trip will offer.
We have people coming to the UK and going to places that I personally may think are not up to much but I appreciate that if its a place you have never been to and you are curious to see what it is like then it's not for me to say they shouldn't go.
We have tried to do either 2,3 or 4 nights at each place as we don't like to feel it is all too rushed. I personally do not like arriving somewhere late afternoon, staying one night and then rushing off again the next morning, that's not our idea of a holiday.

Gretchen

When you bring up Canyon de Chelly, then also think of mesa Verde, which I think is unlike anything else in this world. I know you can't see it all, but thinking in terms of "civilizations", these two places are remarkable for the people who lived there. Other natural places are remarkable for their formations (Bryce, Monument, Zion). Just a thought.
A drive by of Las Vegas would be sufficient!! ;o)

peterboy

When you ask for opinions, don't be surprised when you get them.

I didn't tell you not to go to Vegas but suggested that one night would be more than plenty. Some people love Vegas and could spend a week there...just not me.

I am of the opinion that Zion is more worthy of 2 nights and Bryce can be done with only 1. Both sunrise and sunset at Bryce are "must sees". Unless you're going to hike into Bryce Canyon, then a couple of hours driving to the overlooks and you're done with Bryce.

Zion requires shuttle riding and some hiking so you'll need more time there.


It is only about an hour and a half from Zion to Bryce and it is quite a scenic drive. When you are trying to do so much in such a short period of time sometimes you need to move on.

SDJen

I live in San Diego- of the hotels you mentioned, the best as far as location go are the Best Western in Old Town and the Omni (Downtown). The others would probably be perfectly adequate, but would not have much nearby and plainly just aren't as nice. The Best Western in Old Town is walking distance to restaurants and some shops. It's a bit touristy, but still fun. If you're considering staying in Old Town, there is also a Courtyard Marriott in Old Town which I have driven by several times and that looks very nice.

The Omni Downtown is a very nice hotel and is right next to the baseball stadium and is on the bay- so it should have great views.

The downtown Marriott, Hyatt, and Hilton downtown are comparable to the Omni and are on San Diego Bay. Other good downtown hotels (although these are more trendy) are the Hard Rock, Andaz, and Hotel Salomar). All of these would be walking distance to Gaslamp Quarter which has lots of restaurants and shopping.


Some other recommendations are the Hilton on Mission Bay, Catamaran, the Dana, the Bahia, and Humphrey's Half Moon Inn. These are by the water of Mission Bay, and are probably a bit cheaper than downtown. Many of these (except for the Hilton) have kind of a Polynesian theme which gives it a fun vacation feel, and they have water activities available.

As a side note, there is a SD Trolley you can take which is a hop on and hop off tour around San Diego. I believe it has stops downtown and in Old Town, so if you are staying in either one of those places it might be a fun thing to do for a day. http://www.trolleytours.com/san-diego/

Hope that helps.

SDJen

Oh- for stuff to do in San Diego-

- Definitely San Diego Zoo (it's close to downtown).

- Beaches (the best are La Jolla Shores and Mission Beach (Mission Beach has the Belmont Park theme park with an old wood roller coaster).

- Coronado. Definitely worth the visit. The Hotel Del is beautiful and is great to stay in if your budget allows. If you don't stay there, it's at least worth the trip to look around and enjoy the beach or the restaurants they have there.

- Old Town. As I mentioned, it's a bit touristy, but still fun. I highly recommend the tortillas they sell on the street at Cafe Coyote for 50 cents, which come in Strawberry, Vanilla or Chocolate! Also, check out the restaurant El Agave. They have tons of types of tequila and even make their own, and added bonus, the food is amazing, traditional gourmet Mexican (not the Americanized tacos, etc.).

- If you like beer, check out some of the MANY microbreweries http://www.sandiegobrewersguild.org/. Ballast Point Brewery just opened a place near downtown:
http://www.littleitalysd.com/events/...r-wine-garden/
If you don't have time to check out the actual breweries, a good place to go is Pizza Port in Ocean Beach.

Jean

Have you booked your Yosemite lodging yet? Accommodations in Yosemite Valley can be reserved up to a year in advance, so it's already been 5 months since the booking window for May 2014 opened.

sharone

SDJen, thank you so much for all your info re the hotels, I will definately look into those and also the places you mentioned to eat, my husband will love going to the microbreweries. La Jolla and Mission Beach do look nice, how long would you say you need for a zoo trip, would half a day be enough?

Jean - we have booked Cedar Lodge at Yosemite, we couldn't get anything in the valley itself.

JohnSDaulton - I think the 2 place you mentioned, Nevada & California Cities, are too far off our route to see and we cannot extend our stay unfortunately, hopefully there'll be a next time.